V  -  ^ 


1 

§ 

fl 

fe£',''T^"' " 

i     Vv''^«|| 

1 

DONALD   PRITCH€TT 

B€AN 

ZiM^ 


University  of  California  •  Berkeley- 


Mr. 


Gift  of 
&  Mrs.  Donald  P.  Bean 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/blesseddamozelpoOOrossrich 


THE 
BLESSED  DAMOZEL- A  POEM 
by  DANTE  GABRIEL  ROSSETTI 
REPRINTED  FROM  THE  GERM 


NOTE 

^TKe  portrait  of  Rossetti  Kere  given 
as  frontispiece  is  from  tke  painting  by 
G.F.\Vatts.  ^^TKe  Blessed Damozer 
facing  verses  X  and  XI  is  from  tke 
painting  by  Rossetti  made  for  Lord 
Mount'^Temple  in  1874. 


THE  BLESSED 
DAMOZEL 

[HE  BLESSED 
DAMOZEL 
leaned  out 
From  the  gold 
bar  of  Heaven: 
Her  blue 
grave  eyes  ^vere  deeper 
much 

Than  a  deep  water,  even. 
She  had  three  lilies  in  her 
hand. 
And  the  ^ars  in  her  hair  were  seven. 


II 

^HER  ROBE,  UNGIRT  FROM 

clasp  to  hem. 

No  wrought  flov/ers  did  adorn. 

But  a  white  rose  of  Mary's  gift 

On  the  neck  meetly  worn; 

And  her  hair,  lying  do^vn  her  back. 

Was  yellov/  like  ripe  corn. 

Ill 
^HERSEEMED  SHE  SCARCE 
had  been  a  day 
One  of  God's  chorii^ers; 
The  wonder  was  not  yet  quite  gone 
From  that  i^ill  look  of  her's; 
Albeit  to  them  she  left,  her  day 
Had  counted  as  ten  years. 


IV 
®(TO  ONE  IT  IS  TEN  YEARS 
of  years: 

....   Yet  now,  here  in  this  place. 
Surely  she  leaned  o'er  me, — her  hair 

Fell  all  about  my  face 

Nothing:  the  Autumn^fall  of  leaves. 
The  v^hole  year  sets  apace.) 

V 
mr  W\S  THE  TERRACE  OF 
God's  house 

That  she  was  landing  on, — 
By  God  built  over  the  sheer  depth 
In  ^vhich  Space  is  begun; 
So  high,  that  looking  do^vnward 
thence. 
She  could  scarce  see  the  sun. 


VI 
^IT  LIES  FROM  HEAVEN 
across  tlie  flood 
Of  ether,  as  a  bridge. 
Beneatk,  the  tides  of  day  and  night 
W^ith  flame  and  blackness  ridge 
The  void,  as  lo^v  as  ^svhere  this  earth 
Spins  hke  a  fretful  midge. 

VII 
^BUT  IN  THOSE  TRACTS, 
with  her,  it  was 
The  peace  of  utter  light 
And  silence.  For  no  breeze  may  ^ir 
Along  the  lAeady  flight 
Of  seraphim;  no  echo  there. 
Beyond  all  depth  or  height. 


VIII 
^HEARD  HARDLY,  SOME  OF 
her  new  friends. 
Playing  at  holy  games. 
Spake,  gentle^'mouthed,  among 
themselves. 

Their  virginal  chaise  names ; 
And  the  souls,  mounting  up  to  God, 
Went  by  her  like  thin  flames. 

IX 
^AND  STILL  SHE  BOWED 
herself,  and  looped 
Into  the  va^  wa^e  calm; 
Till  her  bosom's  pressure  mu^  have 
made 

The  bar  she  leaned  on  warm. 
And  the  lihes  lay  as  if  asleep 
Along  her  bended  arm. 


X 

^FROM  THE  FIXT  LULL  OF 

heaven,  sKe  saw 

Time,  like  a  pxilse,  shake  fierce 

Through  all  the  worlds.  Her  gaze 

i^ill  ^rove. 

In  that  ^eep  gulph,  to  pierce 

The  swarm:  and  then  she  spake, 

as  when 

The  jAars  sang  in  their  spheres. 

XI 
m-l  V/ISH  THAT  HE  WERE 
come  to  me. 

For  he  ^11  come,"  she  said. 
""Have  I  not  prayed  in  solemn  heaven? 
On  earth,  has  he  not  prayed? 
Are  not  tsvo  prayers  a  perfedt  ^rength? 
And  shall  I  feel  afraid? 


XII 
«-V/HEN  ROUND  HIS  HEAD 
the  aureole  clings. 
And  lie  is  clothed  in  ^vhite, 
m  take  his  hand,  and  go  with  him 
To  the  deep  w^ells  of  light. 
And  ^ve  ^vill  ^ep  dov/n  as  to  a 
^ream 
And  bathe  there  in  God's  sight. 

XIII 
^-^VE  TWO  WILL  STAND 
beside  that  shrine. 
Occult,  v^ithheld,  untrod. 
Whose  lamps  tremble  continually 
M/ith  prayer  sent  up  to  God; 
And  where  each  need,  revealed, 
expects 
Its  patient  period. 


XIV 
^-V/E  TWO  WILL  LIE  F  THE 
shadow  o£ 

That  living  mystic  tree 
V/ithin  whose  secret  grow^th  the  Dove 
Sometimes  is  felt  to  be, 
W^hile  every  leaf  that  His  plumes 
touch 
Saith  His  name  audibly. 

XV 
^- AND  I  MYSELF  V/ILL 
teach  to  him — 
I  nayself,  lying  so, — 
The  songs  I  sing  here ;  which  his 
mouth 

Shall  pause  in,  hushed  and  slow. 
Finding  some  kno^edge  at  each  pause 
And  some  new  thing  to  know/' 


XVI 
®(ALAS!  TO  HER  V/ISE 
simple  mind 

These  things  v^ere  all  but  known 
Before :  they  trembled  on  her 
sense, — 

Her  voice  had  caught  their  tone. 
Alas  for  lonely  Heaven!  Alas 
For  life  ^vrung  out  alone ! 

XVII 
« ALAS,  AND  THOUGH  THE 
end  were  reached?   .    .    . 
Was  THY  part  underwood 
Or  borne  in  trui^?  And  for  her  sake 
Shall  this  too  be  found  good? — 
May  the  close  lips  that  knew  not 
prayer 
Praise  ever,  though  they  would?) 


XVIII 

^- WE  rvs/or  SHE  said, 

''will  seek  tlie  groves 

Where  tke  lady  Mary  is, 

W^itK  Ker  five  handmaidens,  ^vKose 

names 

Are  five  sweet  symphonies :  — 

Cecily,  Gertrude,  Magdalen, 

Margaret  and  Rosalys. 

XIX 
^-CIRCLE^\VISE  SIT  THEY, 

^vith  bound  locks 

And  bosoms  covered; 

Into  the  fine  cloth,  ^vhite  like  flame, 

W^eaving  the  golden  thread. 

To  fashion  the  birth'^robes  for  them 

Who  are  ju^  born,  being  dead. 


XX 

^-HE  SHALL  FEAR  HAPLY, 

and  be  dumb. 

Then  I  ^vill  lay  my  cheek 

To  his,  and  tell  about  our  love. 

Not  once  abashed  or  \veak: 

And  the  dear  Mother  ^vill  approve 

My  pride,  and  let  me  speak. 

XXI 
^-HERSELF  SHALL  BRING 
us,  hand  in  hand. 
To  Him  round  whom  all  souls 
Kneel — the  unnumbered  solemn 
heads 

Bo^ved  ^vith  their  aureoles : 
And  Angels,  meeting  us,  shall  sing 
To  their  citherns  and  citoles. 


XXII 
^-THERE  \VILL  I  ASK  OF 
Ckri^  tke  Lord 
Thus  much  for  him  and  me :  — 
To  have  more  blessing  than  on  earth 
In  nowise;  but  to  be 
As  then  we  were, — being  as  then 
At  peace.  Yea,  verily. 

XXIII 
^-YEA,  VERILY;  WHEN  HE 
is  come 

V/e  ^vill  do  thus  and  thus : 
Till  this  my  vigil  seem  quite  Grange 
And  almo^  fabulous; 
^Ve  tsvo  v/ill  live  at  once,  one  life; 
And  peace  shall  be  v^ith  us.'' 


XXIV 
^SHE  GAZED,  AND  LISTEN^ 
ed,  and  then  said. 
Less  sad  of  speech  than  mild; 
''All  this  is  w^hen  he  comes/'  She 
ceased : 

The  hght  thrilled  pa^  her,  filled 
"W^ith  Angels,  in  ^rong  level  lapse. 
Her  eyes  prayed,  and  she  smiled. 

XXV 
«(I  SAW  HER  SMILE.)  BUT 
soon  their  flight 

Was  vague  'mid  the  poised  spheres. 
And  then  she  ca^  her  arms  along 
The  golden  barriers. 
And  laid  her  face  between  her 
hands. 
And  wept.     (I  heard  her  tears.) 


HERE  ENDS 
THE  BLESSED  DAMOZEL-  BY 
DANTE  GABRIEL  ROSSETTI- 
REPRINTED  FROM  THE  GERM 
FOR  FEBRUARY  MDCCC-L 
PRINTED  &  BOUND  BY  FRED 
^V•  AND  BERTHA  M-  GOUDY 
AT  THE  VILLAGE  PRESS- no 
COPIES  PRINTED  98  FOR  SALE 


Park  Ridge,  Illinois,  December,  1903 


